Picker stick checks for looms



y 1955 v. GRAVITT 3,192,959

PICKER STICK CHECKS FOR LOOMS Filed June 10, 1963 FIG. I

INVENTOR. VICTOR GRAVlTT 24 ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofiice 3,192,959 Patented July 6, 1965 This invention relates to improvements in looms and more particularly to picker check strap assemblies and to guide rod-incorporating mounts therefor such as are disclosed in the Victor Gravitt Patent No. 2,666,455, and in the Louis P. Plante and Martin Roy Patents Nos. 2,796,890, and 2,884,961.

As in the prior patents mentioned, the present invention contemplates a loop-shaped control strap and a loomcarried member-providing guide rod means on which end-adjacent portions of the strap slide under picker stick action.

Referring first to the above mentioned Gravitt patent, the straight guide rod-carried strap with the unconnected free ends, while effective in service for its purpose, proved to be very short-lived due to structural failure at the site of the strap-end-adjacent guide rod-receiving holes, which latter, as originally contemplated, only slightly ex ceeded guide rod diameter.

This guide hole area strap-failure in the patented Gravitt structure resulted primarily from wear-induced friction developed by rod and strap-hole binding, when the respective strap ends were being pulled along the straight guide rod in trailing relationship to the picker stick. High speed picker stick operation, of course, increased such friction and resultant wear.

Further as to the Gravitt patented structure and referring to the leading, or picker stick-actuated strap end, there was but little strap hole and guide rod-produced friction as compared to that adjacent the trailing strap end. This was due to close picker stick and guide rod proximity. More specifically stated, such reduced lead ing strap end friction resulted from the fact that its plane always remained in very much closer to normal relationship to the plane of the guide rod axis than did the trailing strap end. But it was only when the Gravitt structure was modified to include a strap end tie means between the straight guide rod and the loom as, in the aforementioned Plante et a1. patents, that a longer lived,

although more expensive, check strap was produced.

However, aside from the aforementioned matter of manufacturing expense, the patented Gravitt check strap,

etc. of the herein referred to Plante et al. patents, still lacked the durability in service which is achieved by the present invention, and primarily because of its mass (weight), as will be explained hereinafter.

Therefore, with the foregoing in mind, the instant invention has for its primary object to improve the aforementioned patented Gravitt and Plante et al. structures by providing a cheaper yet more durable check strap and guide rod assembly; and particularly to eliminate the necessity for a tie-connection between the free check strap ends.

More specifically, the invention contemplates a guide rod-supported control strap having guide rod-receiving openings which are substantially oversized with respect to the rod cross-section and wherein the ends of the guide rod are inclined inwardly toward the loom so as to cause the strap to follow the picker stick without a tendency to frictionally bind on the rod, the foregoing arrangement also resulting in stick-engagement with a single strap end area throughout the entire period of active ick and strap engagement in each direction, so as to avoid the application of transverse stresses to the picker stick in service.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in a picker stick control assembly as characterized, vertically spaced guide rods which are received in edge notches of the control strap so as to make quick strap replacement possible.

A still further aim of the invention is to furnish a control strap and guide rod assembly which enables the free strap ends that project toward the loom from the.

guide rod to be much shorter than in the Plante et al. structure. This is important because the greater clearance thus provided between said strap ends and the shuttle guide makes the rod and strap assembly more readily applicable to certain types of looms.

With these ends in view, a feature of the invention comprises inwardly curved and vertically spaced loomcarried guide rods which, instead of extending through checkstrap holes, seat in oversized notches which are provided in top and bottom edges of the check strap. Such structure has the advantage of enabling a worn out check strap to be replaced without removal of the guide rod assembly from the loom. I

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent to those versed in the art as the description proceeds, reference being had to the accompanying drawings. Although the drawings show several now preferred examples of the invention, the illustration is to be taken as illustrative rather than limitative, as the inventive concept is susceptible of other mechanical expressions within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein the same reference characters have been used to designate the same parts wherever they appear in the several views FIG. 1 is a side elevation illustrating theapplication of one form of the invention to a loom;

FIG. 2 is a plan view partly in section on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1; 7

FIG. 3 is a perspective View of the control strap of FIG. 1; but showing a fibre insert between the strap plies.

Referring to the drawings by reference characters and lturningto the form of invention shown in FIGS. 1-3,

inclusive, numeral 10 indicates a conventional lay-provided shuttle guide of a loom having the picker stick 11 for actuating the shuttle 13, the picker stick having the conventionalshuttle contact block 12 .and being shown as moving in its power stroke to contact the shuttle 13.

50. modified to lncorporate the free strap end he means,

As in the prior patents mentioned, the shuttle guide 10 has secured thereto, as at 14a, the depending bracket 14 for support ofthe novel control strap-carrying guide bar unit 15 which provides the vertically spaced and inwardly and longitudinally curved guide bars 15a, 15b. A lug which is functionally integral with bars 15a, 15b and located intermediate the ends of the latter has the. closed longitudinal slot 18 for the headed bracketcarried bolt 17 which receives the clamp nut 19. This,

provides for adjustable mounting of the guide bar unit 15 on the loom. 22 designates the space between bars 15a, 15b. 7

The guide rod unit 15 is preferably drop-forged or otherwise formed and includes the connecting end por- 'tions 29 and intermediate posts .21 which are spaced prise the outer ply 26 and the inner ply 28, there being the tongues 32 of leather or the like overlying the inner surface of the inner ply 2% for a distance commencing from he free ends of the latter and having their inner ends skived to a thin edge 32a. The tongues 32 and plies 26, 23 are secured together adjacent the free ends of the strap by a plurality of small rivets 3% or any other desired means. The tongues 32 function as in the Plante et al. Patent No. 2,844,961 to reinforce the control strap at the picker stick contact area and tend to resist, at least to some extent, strap flexation of such areas. Plies 26, 28 are flexible, and one or both may be of leather or fabric webbing.

The control strap 26 is provided with notches 23 at each longitudinal edge adjacent the free strap end for the reception of the guide rods a, 15b, the width of the notches 23 being substantially greater than the diameter of the guide rods 15a, 151) so as to admit of transverse rocking of the end-adjacent portions of the strap on the guide rods 15a, 15b, and to reduce wear and resultant strap failure at the site of strap notches 23.

Also, of course, the end-adjacent portions of the control strap 16 are free to rock or bend longitudinally of guide bars 3.5a, 155) so that the picker stick 11, when engaged with strap 16, will always make fiat engagement therewith.

An important advantage of the use of the control strap notches 23 in lieu of holes therethrough is that the control strap 16 can be readily installed on the guide rods 15a, 1511 by simply twisting the strap ends axially of the strap body and inserting them into the guide rod-provided space 22. Release of the twisted strap ends result in the related notches 23 thereof being positioned to autornatically receive the guide rods 15a, 15b. Thus a control strap 16 can be readily'applied to and removed from the guide rod unit 15. A fibre reinforcement insert 24, as in the Plante et al. patents, is preferably interposed between the inner and outer strap plies 26, 28 for reinforcing purposes and has upper and lower notches matching strap notches 23 as in FIG. 4. However, insert 24 can be omitted as in FIG. 1.

Buffers 34 of rubber or other compressible material are located adjacent the end portions of the guide rod assembly and have concaved end portions 35 which receive the opposed guide rod surfaces. These buffers 34 function to absorb the part of the picker stick-applied force and thus to a considerable extent reduce wear at the end portions of strap 16. The buffers 34 can be readily applied or removed by simply compressing the same longitudinally or canting them-in the direction of the length of the guide rods 15a, 15b.

Referring to the several illustrated forms of the invention, there are a number of advantages of having the curved guide rod ends inclined toward the bracket-carrying shuttle. guide 10. One of these is that since the impact of the picker stick tends to rock the stick-activated strap end transversely of the rod (or rods) as the thus forced strap ends fiex under pickerstick action, the picker stick continues in engagement with the same strap end area throughout the period of its direct activating movement in the power stroke of the picker stick. This eliminates strap wear by eliminating relative transverse strap and picker stick movement. It will be noted that the inclined end portions of the guide rods lie within the compass of the loop.

Another advantage of maintaining picker stick engagement with the same strap area is to relieve the picker stick and its bearing of any side strain that would be the result of relative transverse movement of the strap and picker stick during operation of the latter.

Furthermore, by using a control strap guide rod having ends which are inclined in the direction of the loom, the earlier mentioned objectionable binding of the guide rodreceiving notches or holes adjacent the trailing strap end is eliminated. In other words, by inclining the rod ends inwardly, strap and rod friction will be close to being equalized at both the trailing and stick-driven strap ends and that if anything strap and rod friction will be reduced at the stick actuated strap end.

Although guide rods are illustrated which curve from end to end this is not necessary to attain the aforenoted advantages and hereinafter mentioned advantages.

Another important feature of the present invention is the very substantial reduction in control strap mass (weight) that has to be actuated by the picker stick, as compared to the Plants et al. straps mentioned. This control strap mass reduction overcomes an objection to the Plante et al. straps which, due to excessive mass (weight), were subject to extreme fiexation at the site of the guide rod holes which resulted in strap failure (beakage) at such areas.

The above referred to mass (weight) reduction in the present strap is effected by eliminating the necessity for a tree strap end connecting tie strap and related fastening means. This means getting better operational results and longer life from both single and double ply control straps.

Strap mass reduction also relieves the picker stick of strain; and makes for quicker strap response to stick action.

Then, too, since the present control strap has fewer parts than the Plante et al. straps, it is cheaper to make aside from being more economical to use.

Having thus disclosed my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

i. A picker stick control assembly comprising a pair of spaced parallel guide rods in combination with a fieto ible loop-shaped strap having a sliding connection at its ends with said guide rods, said connections comprising oppositely disposed notches defining areas in the strap of less width than the spacing of the guide rods.

2. A picker stick control assembly comprising spaced horizontal guide rods in combination with a flexible loopshaped strap having a sliding connection at each end with said guide rods, the connection consisting of aligned notches in the top and bottom edges of the strap providing an area of less width than the space between the guide rods and permitting disengagement of the strap from the guide rods by twisting of the notched strap ends.

3. A picker stick control assembly comprising a stationary horizontal guide rod in combination with a loopshaped strap having a sliding connection at each end with the guide rod and mounted to encompass an oscillating picker stick, the guide rod being inclined at both ends toward the plane of oscillation of the picker stick and within the compass of the loop, thereby reducing relative trans- .verse shifting of the picker stick with respect to the strap guide rod being inclined in both end portions toward the said plane of oscillation and within the compass of the loop, whereby the advancing end of the loop-shaped strap is moved transversely with respect to said plane under the actuation of the picker stick.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,666,455 1/54 Gravitt 139l65 2,796,890 6/57 Plante et al. 139-166 2,855,004 10/58 Shivell 139165 2,884,961 5/59 Plante et al. 139-166 2,995,153 8/61 Carter 139l65 DONALD W. PARKER, Primary Examiner. 

1. A PICKER STICK CONTROL ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A PAIR OF SPACED PARALLEL GUIDE RODS IN COMBINATION WITH A FLEXIBLE LOOP-SHAPED STRAP HAVING A SLIDING CONNECTION AT ITS ENDS WITH SAID GUIDE RODS, SAID CONNECTIONS COMPRISING OPPOSITELY DISPOSED NOTCHES DEFINING AREAS IN THE STRAP OF LESS WIDTH THAN THE SPACING OF THE GUIDE RODS. 